A variety of means are used to cut or otherwise shape a portion of a bone during orthopedic surgical procedures, including, saws, knives, files, blades, broaches, reamers, rasps and similar orthopedic surgical tools. Such tools can include a handle, integral to or separately detachable from the cutting tool, for grasping the surgical tool during use and to provide leverage to perform the cutting or shaping of a bone during the orthopedic surgical procedure.
In certain surgical procedures, it can be necessary to drill or ream an intramedullary canal of a bone. For example, in the replacement of a hip joint, it can be necessary to replace a natural femoral head with a prosthetic stem affixed within a canal of the femur. The procedure for implanting the prosthetic stem can include the use of a broach or rasp in preparing the femoral shaft for reception of the prosthetic stem by providing contouring of the femoral shaft to the gross geometry of the prosthetic stem, thereby assuring accurate location and good fit. In order to facilitate utilization of such a broach or rasp tool, it can be useful to selectively detach the working portion of the tool from the handle to facilitate precise gauging of the location of the tool within the femoral shaft, to facilitate cleaning of the tool, and for other reasons.
A number of detachable handles for use with releasable tools, such as broaches or rasps, exist. However, known handles exhibit a number of problems, including a failure to achieve a tight fit between the tool and the handle, resulting in a loose coupling. Inadequate locking or a loose connection between the tool and the handle can impair control of the tool during a surgical procedure.
Handles known for use in connection with orthopedic cutting tools include, for example, those discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,190,550, 5,261,915, 5,324,293, 5,531,750, 5,643,271, 6,663,636, and U.S. Patent App. Pub. No. 2012/0083769.